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Father Squid
A joker and resident of Jokertown. Founder and pastor of the joker-friendly church of Our Lady of Perpetual Misery, more commonly known as the Church of Jesus Christ, Joker. His staff includes Quasiman, and Mighty Wurlitzer. History Bearing a squid-like tentacled visage from infancy, the joker baby who eventually became a well-known priest was left at the St. Cabrini Orphanage in Salem, Massachusetts, by unknown parents. Years later, he was drafted into a special Joker Brigade within the U.S. Army, a unit typically sent into the worst battlezones of the Vietnam War with the least supplies and support. Serving with distinction, Squidface befriended Daniel Brennan, a nat soldier who treated him as an equal rather than an expendable freak. Years later, this friendship would be renewed back in the States, when Brennan decided to pursue his vendetta against Kien Phuc as the vigilante archer Yeoman. Disillusioned after the end of the war, Squidface wandered the globe, falling in with the violent joker extremists known as the Twisted Fists. He served them with distinction as well, committing acts of terror and violence that would haunt him for the rest of his days. Eventually the joker soldier grew sick of the bloodshed and returned to America, seeking a new path to justice and, hopefully, salvation. Father Squid, as he became known, came to serve as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Misery, the Church of Jesus Christ, Joker, since 1980. Excommunicated from the Catholic Church, he took to preaching his own take upon the holy gospel and embraced some unusual non-canonical iconography flavored by his flock's wild card experiences. Close friend and confidant of Yeoman, Father Squid has never wavered in his hope that his old friend would renounce a life of violence, though he never judged his friend's pursuit of vengeance. He participated in the 1987 WHO Tour as one of the delegates researching the treatment of wild card victims around the globe. Later, he loaned the services of his handyman, Quasiman, as a bodyguard to Yeoman while the vigilante investigated the death of Chrysalis. During the Shadow Fists' reign of terror, Father Squid used his contacts to enlist the help of a mysterious ace known only as Trace when Yeoman's wife Wraith was rendered comatose by assassins. A few years later, Father Squid ministered to the survivors of a firebombing at his church. It was eventually learned the anti-wild card cabal known as the Card Sharks was behind the arson attempt and Father Squid gladly provided sanctuary to Hannah Davis, the nat arson investigator who exposed them. During this time, the Church of Jesus Christ, Joker, was moved to its current location. Certain details of Father Squid's past and personal later life came to light during Leo Storgman's investigation of the Rat Hole murders. It transpired that he had broken his vow of celibacy, and found love in the arms of a woman who had later been gunned down during that horrific incident. Three years later, and with mounting concerns about a string of disappearances around Jokertown, Father Squid enlisted the aid of the Infamous Black Tongue to help him find the missing jokers. During their search, they were themselves captured by the very kidnappers they sought to track, and were taken to Talas, Kazakhstan, where they soon found themselves forced to participate in deadly cage matches against other jokers. Initially providing support for Black Tongue to help the younger man through the ordeal, it was soon Father Squid's turn to become the morose recluse when his old Vietnam combat skills had him not only defeating, but outright killing an opponent. He later accepted a deal that would pit him against Black Tongue in a death match where the victor had a promise of freedom, although when the fateful night came he simply invited Marcus to end his life. Black Tongue refused however, angering the event's patron Baba Yaga. The elderly ace spat down into the ring, and it was only the quick intervention of Father Squid that saved the young man's life as the priest shoved him clear, but that action put the priest in the path of the attack instead. Baba Yaga's power then twisted him horribly, and painfully, into a piece of furniture resembling a church pew. Wild Card Traits Father Squid's body makes him amphibious. He is able to stay submerged for up to half an hour before needing to resurface. He is also quite strong and resilient with a strength roughly comparable to three or four men combined, and resistant to harm from minor abrasions. Appearance Father Squid has a bundle of tentacles in place of a nose that hang over his mouth. His skin has a pale complexion, and his eyes are slightly bulging and have nictating membranes. He has long fingers with round, vestigial suckers on his palms and the bottom of his fingers. Father Squid has a slight salty scent that is reminiscent of the sea. Personality Father Squid is unfailingly kind, gentle and non-judgemental. He gets along with jokers, nats, and aces equally well and has been described as "Pat O'Brien with tentacles". He never speaks of his past. Trivia *His skills listed in the GURPS Wild Cards worldbook indicate military training including small arms, jungle survival, and demolitions. Selected Reading * * * * Category:WHO Tour delegates Category:POV characters